Digital Compass: Young Fact-Checkers for a Fair Digital Space

The internet and social media have become the primary news source for young people, exposing them to a barrage of unregulated, manipulative and unverified content. The fast-paced nature of new media, combined with a lack of editorial oversight and algorithms, causes fake news to spread faster than accurate information, threatening young people's social trust, psychological well-being, and healthy decision-making mechanisms. Consequently, existing fact-checking mechanisms alone are insufficient in the face of increasing information pollution and the speed at which disinformation spreads.

The project's primary goal is to raise young people's awareness of digital information pollution and disinformation, thereby developing their critical digital literacy skills, such as news verification and selecting reliable sources. The project aims to ensure that participants become ethical and responsible digital citizens who effectively use verification tools, ultimately aiming to establish a common youth network across Europe to combat information pollution.